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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-06-2012 03:42 PM

Ted Brown

part box is a no no...

If you want my opinion of boxing back to the end of the cab, I would not do it, unless you box the whole frame... as it will break a lot quicker with the frame twisting from there back, the frame will crack at the end of the box... I would do an engine mount that fits under the pan from one side to the other, bolted in, this will take that front twist out of the frame, that usually happens when outside engine mounts are used, on just the frame itself, one on each side is too much for a channel frame... With the wide (both sides) type of mount, there is only downward force... same as the stock factory engine mounts were that were in that truck stock... JMHO BTDT

02-06-2012 03:36 PM

professor229

Engine Suffix Code

On the engine ledge of the V6 is the engine information... I know it came out of a Chevy conversion van, but Chevrolet is keeping the code for that a secret and you cannot read the last letters on the ledge.... I know now, that the first character was not a J but a T for Tonawanda and the next four digits stand for the month/day, but oh how I would like to know was the engine suffix code it is for a 1985 Chevy cargo van.....

02-06-2012 03:33 PM

professor229

opinion

Hi guys..... all good information.... I have a friend who was a Ford parts man for many years and he stopped by and said about the same thing.... I am not interested concerning high performance anymore.... this motor is rated at 155 h.p. and the rear end is out of a 1949 Ford..... I just want to be able to keep up with the other traffic on back roads... The one suggestion that I did listen to was from the guys at Speedway Motors though.... who said I should box it "at least back to the rear of the cab." It won't take much effort on my part to do this so I might just accomplish that much. I did work on the project motor today and have a bit more to do before marrying the tranny to it... then, it will get its initial fitting as we "hang" it in place with a cherry picker to determine which tranny cross member to order and what kind of motor mounts we want to use. I can also then intelligently mark where the frame mounts will have to be as well. It's all good and with the progress today, you feel a little better about it and a little more ambitious... PS Sent in the "paper work" to the MN DMV a week ago Thursday to try to get a title for it, and was told that it will take up to three months to get the verdict....

02-06-2012 02:31 PM

Ted Brown

boxed frame.?

Well I had to go back in this post to remember/see what you are building... Like you say, you are not going for max performance and look how many years that frame has held up so far... If you are not worried about a bit of twist in the frame when driving in and out of driveways and such... Then boxing is not going to help you all that much, twisting of the frame can cause the doors to pop open and body/hood panels can slip around and mess with paint... Plus when you step on thew running boards, the frame may twist again... If you use a good cross Member, kinda like the factory used, you should be OK... Just some things to think about.

02-06-2012 10:40 AM

stich626

I ask this because I just don't know..

but what is the usefullness of boxing the frame.., I understand it makes it stronger.. but it seems in this build.. it's overkill. witha 4.3 v6 and a truck bed than never haul more than a lawn chair or two..
what bennies would a build like this get out of a boxed frame.?

02-06-2012 10:11 AM

Ted Brown

dingle berries

I have found that the straight MIG using gas, does have dingle berries... I talked with a fellow that owns a W-Iron shop, they build gates, etc. he said what they do to end that problem is soak the whole roll of wire with WD40, and he said it takes a whole can to soak it good/right, then there is no sticking of the dingle berries. I found that works good for me also... Plus I use a rag, soaked with WD40 held into the wire with a wood clothes hanger/clip, just before it enters the tube shaft... This helps with keeping it oiled up good also, I spray it everyday... saves a lot of clean-up time.

02-06-2012 09:46 AM

boatbob2

Flux wire or mig???????????

There is NO COMPARISON between flux wire welding and MIG welding,MIG is so much better,AND you dont have those dingle berries ( spatter) to clean off

02-06-2012 08:04 AM

Ted Brown

Flux-wire

Well, I am not the best one to really answer your question/thoughts about the flux-wire messing with your paint, etc. because I do not and have not ever used that type of welding wire... Although! it should not be much 'if any', different than using stick rod during regular ark welding, which I did use the first few years of rod building, with no problems, as I filed/cleaned all my welds by hand... And! I most always have all the frame and related parts 'sand blasted' before painting or powder coating... Anything that is to be Chrome plated, is totally cleaned and polished... Maybe an old 'expert welder' will answer that question for you...

02-06-2012 06:40 AM

professor229

jury is still out on this one

My Father in Law was a welding inspector for Burlington Northern and got me started in welding. One of my best friends was a welding instructor and taught welding at a local high school for over 30 years. He is the one who recommended that I buy a smaller unit that would weld up to 1/8 inch stock. I learned how to weld about 20 years ago, but never ever did have much of a need to use it and had to ask for a "refresher" course. Times have changed including the auto darkening helmet which truly makes welding 10 times easier. I did weld all my sheet metal panels in place with no problems and used good spacing techniques so it would not warp. Since my project was old metal, I cut away the rusted areas and clamped the new panels in place. I had some frustration until I found the correct thickness of the panels to be welded in. It took some experimenting. A little grinding, and a very small about of bondo and I was in business. I have not had a problem with paint falling off (yet!), and know that prep work before painting IS the most important and time consuming part of the project. Before applying the bondo, I do prep the metal with poor man's metal prep.... carburetor cleaner..... to wipe it all down. It has always worked well for me. I have also pretty much switched from sandable automotive primer, to self etching primer. Easier to work with and dries so much faster. Everybody has their own way of doing it though, and experimenting with what you have, and what you can afford is what makes it all worthwhile. As much as I would love to have a large welder, or hire someone, the fact is, I don't weld that often so it is a losing proposition for me and what I have, works. I am also retired now, and work on projects as more/less a hobby and this should be my last project. If I was starting over, I would consider a better welding unit than I have, but for now, it is fine. I am going to ask my retired welding instructor friend to come over once I get the boxing panels in place, to give me some advice. I do like the idea to move the panels inside the frame rails a quarter inch so that is the plan for now.

02-06-2012 12:21 AM

ramman1500

flux core welding

Quote:

Originally Posted by 57chevy350

hey I have a Lincoln its the best thing ever ! I weld with flux core for everything works great sheet metal to 1/2 no prob Iv had it for 15 years love it as for boxing the frame do it from front to back I did my 57 chevy truck frame in 2 foot chunks 1/8 for most 3/16 for the motor mounts and Don't put brake lines in the box at all Bad Bad idea !! good luck!!

i also use flux core but i have heard that the flux will leave a residue on the panels if your welding body panels . causing problems with paint adhesion and or spots in the paint . is this true ? do i need to buy a set of bottles and gauges for my welder , im getting ready to do some patch work on my car . the place that sold me the welder said that i needed the bottles that flux core wire would ruin my work .

02-01-2012 09:24 PM

cmc-10

I love my Lincoln mig also, also use .035 flux core wire for everything. I also have a Lincoln arc welder that I use on anything larger than an 1/8 or so for added strength. Another tech tip for pulling wire through conduit, use a shop vac on one end, use PVC fittings to reduce the vac hose to your conduit size , and feed in a length of the same nylon pull string used in house/ building conduit. If it wont pull the string, use a small piece of cotton just a little smaller than the conduit with the string attached through or around it. Then, use the string as a pull for your wiring. A butt connector will attach to the string the same as it would wire. I have been planning to box my rails on my c-10 also, but, (duh moment) didn't think about a conduit. Glad I found this thread. As far as the metal-to-wire rub,I would think either a rubber grommet on the ends of the conduit or a section (just a few inches or so) of rubber hose inside the ends of the conduit would solve the issue. The ends are the only places the wire would rub I would think. A full length of tubing would seemingly be unnecessary. Hope this helps and good luck.

02-01-2012 07:34 PM

57chevy350

Ps is that a 35 chevy truck ?

My best friend has a 35 chevy truck and he would love to see more pics If that is a chevy thanks

02-01-2012 07:29 PM

57chevy350

hey I have a lincon sp 125

hey I have a Lincoln its the best thing ever ! I weld with flux core for everything works great sheet metal to 1/2 no prob Iv had it for 15 years love it as for boxing the frame do it from front to back I did my 57 chevy truck frame in 2 foot chunks 1/8 for most 3/16 for the motor mounts and Don't put brake lines in the box at all Bad Bad idea !! good luck!!

02-01-2012 03:42 PM

matts37chev

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty duck

I am considering buying a MIG welder to use on an early ford project. Will a wire feed welder be a good choice for boxing the frame as well as body patches? I understand some jobs require a gas bottle while others need wire with flux. As you can tell, I do not know much about this at all, but want to learn. What suggestions do you have for the unit I should purchase for what I have mentioned?
Thanks

I think one of these lincoln power MIG 180 welders would be a great little machine to have, just starting out
they can be bought at home depot or you local welding supply store

02-01-2012 03:36 PM

C-cab dreamer

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty duck

I am considering buying a MIG welder to use on an early ford project. Will a wire feed welder be a good choice for boxing the frame as well as body patches? I understand some jobs require a gas bottle while others need wire with flux. As you can tell, I do not know much about this at all, but want to learn. What suggestions do you have for the unit I should purchase for what I have mentioned?
Thanks

Couple of things you need to think about buying a MIG...make absolutely sure it will weld the metal thickness you anticipate using, in other words don't buy a 100 amp MIG when you might need 200 amps.
The little MIG is great for sheet metal but not terribly practical for anything heavy.
I am of the opinion that bigger is what you will need, so buy the right machine first time out. Is this the voice of experience? Oh yeah, dammit.
Next, you are likely better off using gas instead of flux wire as it will be more versatile. Costs more, but it's one of those things that you get what you pay for.
I would suggest that you visit weldingtipsandtricks.com to learn a ton more. Jody gives all the information away freely and if you can't find what you want there it doesn't exist.
Good luck. Yep, another retired guy here too...just up the road from you in B.C.

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